Yeast of the Dead

[CA_Mouse]

I had two YW1056 smack packs in my fridge... Family shuffled them to the back corner of the top shelf (coldest spot in the fridge). I went to make a starter for a Sour IPA and found both smack packs had chunks of ice in them. I dumped both into a 2 liter starter figuring nothing would have survived.

18 hours later on the stir plate and there was no evidence of replication, so I ran down to More Beer and grabbed 2 vials of San Diego Super Yeast. Dropped those into a 2 liter starter and within 2 hours it was starting to blow off and I went to dump the dead Wyeast flask and noticed a lot of yeast at the bottom of the flask... I cold crashed, poured off the wort and added the yeast to a 1 liter starter. It started to kraussen within 2 hours, so I put it on the stir plate. I cold crashed it after 16 hours and pitched it into 4.5 gallons of the Sour IPA. Within 3 hours there was airlock activity and within 6 hours the airlocks were foaming at the mouth.

Has anyone ever been successful with yeast that was frozen and should have been dead? Or is the Chico Strain that robust? :rockin:

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

The yeast won't necessarily have been killed simply from there being chunks of ice in it; I'd expect at least marginal viability unless it was frozen solid. The water will preferentially freeze, with the other stuff in suspension/solution being more concentrated (this is how freeze distillation and Icees work). Actually freezing solid generally causes a cell to burst due to the water in it expanding as it freezes; merely being in very cold liquid will inhibit its metabolic processes and activity, which may either act to preserve it or to eventually kill it.

Unless you mean the entire contents was a single chunk of ice.

 

[danthebugman]

What NolguanaForZ said. As long as the pack wasn't a single chunk of ice there would have been viable cells to grow up in your starter. Your starter was initially slow to take odd due to the decrease of cells initially.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Both smack packs were basically slushy. I think that there were very few really viable cells, but there were enough and I was patient enough for the first starter to actually get significant growth. Even better, the fermenter that it went into started before the starter of fresh WLP090 and has been going steadily since it started and the 090 has already stopped.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Well 10 days after pitching... The "frozen" or "iced" Wyeast fermented at a lower temperature and for a longer period then the same size WLP starter. The Wyeast also finished out .003 lower, which may not sound like a lot, but it was the difference between 7.1% ABV and 7.5% ABV.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Well this turned out pretty good...

90% 3L 2-Row
10% Flaked Barley
Kettle Soured with GoodBelly StraightShots for 48 hours
1.5oz of whole leaf Belma Hops for 60 minutes
4oz of whole leaf Belma Hops for a 30 minute whirlpool
Yeast of the Dead (resurrected WY1056)

Beautiful color and nice head (although it dissipates quickly), Nicely tart with a slight sourness, Fruity Mandarin Oranges up front and Tangerine and Dry on the back end.

 

[Sammy86]

Looks delicious! Nice job of staying patient and saving the yeast as well!

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Well 10 days after pitching... The "frozen" or "iced" Wyeast fermented at a lower temperature and for a longer period then the same size WLP starter. The Wyeast also finished out .003 lower, which may not sound like a lot, but it was the difference between 7.1% ABV and 7.5% ABV.

I find the quote in your signature amusingly appropriate.

 

[Jimbodaman]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=511429 I had some scottish ale yeast freeze solid came back from the dead and tasted like a lager, a great lager at that.

 

[CA_Mouse]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=511429 I had some scottish ale yeast freeze solid came back from the dead and tasted like a lager, a great lager at that.

You co-pitched S-04 though, I wouldn't consider that bringing your yeast back from a frozen state. I did not pitch a second yeast, I built up a starter and decanted, added another starter wort and then pitched into half of the 9 gallons of wort.